Papillon

Assamites

Warrior Caste:

The childer of Haqim, known as Assamites to the rest of the Kindred, are a silent knife in the dark, an order of bloodthirsty assassins who participate in the secret wars of the undead by operating as killers for hire. Outside the purview of the Sects, the Assamites are true independents and mercenaries, hiring out to whoever can pay their blood-price and ungoverned by
the will of Prince. By the time a mark realizes that he’s being hunted by an Assamite, it’s often far too late. Needless to say, this makes the Assamites both feared and reviled by many of the other Clans.
In truth, the Assamites are more than simple thugs and killers. Theirs is a complex but insular Clan predicated upon the three principles of wisdom, sorcery, and diablerie. Most Assamites that other vampires encounter are members of the warrior caste, however, so Kindred society has painted them all with that brush. For their part, the Assassins have done nothing to stop this misunderstanding.
If it helps them acquire contracts and it occludes the true nature of their Clan, the better for them. Long ago, the Assamites were brought to heel by a powerful curse to curb their bloodlust, levied by the Tremere at the behest of the Camarilla. They cannot taste the vitae of vampires without it causing them harm. In their ongoing quest to lower their Generation and bring themselves closer to their holy figure, Haqim (whom some outside scholars claim was of the Second Generation, while others insist he was a judge appointed by the other Antediluvians), the Assamites must refine the blood of Kindred into an alchemical solution.
Were it not for this mystical yoke, the Assamites would surely be unchecked on a crusade of unholy diablerie.

Caste Disciplines: Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus

Weakness: The Warrior Caste suffers from an addiction to vampire vitae: Whenever they drink the blood of another vampire, he may become addicted. Once addicted, the vampire may frenzy, taking as much blood as he can every time he partakes of that blood. They also have an aura stained by diablerie. Even if they have never actually engaged in diablerie, their aura shows their blood lust clearly.

Sorcerer Caste:

Outsiders to Clan Assamite don’t see the caste divisions clearly, but the Saracens have a history of blood magic that predates that of the Tremere. Assamite sorcerers began in the Second City, conscripted or lured into the Clan with the promise of immortality in which to perfect their magic. They were tasked with providing magical support, and for centuries, they were simply one caste of the Assamite Clan. And then came the Tremere. The Assamite sorcerers
found themselves facing foes as magically tenacious as they were, foes that were quite happy to steal their knowledge. The sorcerers fought against this new menace as best they could, but then the Tremere levied their blood curse on the line. The sorcerers became obsessed with finding a cure. Since the Schism, the curse has been lifted by Ur-Shulgi.

Caste Disciplines: Assamite Sorcery, Obfuscate, Quietus

Weakness: The line as a whole has practiced the art for so long that it permeates their blood, making each individual sorcerer stand out like a beacon to anyone with supernatural perception. Any use of a supernatural power on a sorcerer for purposes of perception enjoys a -2 difficulty. Additionally, attempts to penetrate a sorcerer’s supernatural concealment using an opposed power are considered to operate one level higher than normal (so a character with Auspex 2 trying to penetrate a sorcerer’s Obfuscate has an effective Auspex of 3).

Vizier Caste:

Assamite viziers are and always have been a vital part of the Clan. Magical knowledge and research remains the purview of the sorcerers, but the viziers are necessary for compiling and uncovering information on philosophy, government, the arts, and religion. The viziers have acted as leaders within the Clan — not where matters of war are concerned (this they wisely
leave to the warrior Assamites), but when it comes to understanding and relating to mortals, the viziers make the best consultants.
Unfortunately, while they can learn, understand, and interpret mortal customs and mores, they have difficulty actually relating to them. Assamite viziers are driven to accumulate knowledge with a zeal that borders on obsessive. They can understand why people act the way they do on a large scale, but understanding the motives of a particular person is much more difficult.
For many years, Assamite viziers and sorcerers were regarded as one caste (this is why sorcerers are still referred to as “viziers” by the ignorant). In modern nights, the viziers have emerged from the shadows to conduct their scholarly research more visibly. Whether this will open the viziers to greater danger from the Assamites’ enemies or bring the caste more power remains to be seen.

Caste Disciplines: Auspex, Celerity, Quietus

Weakness: The viziers are mad. Every vizier finds himself caught up in the continuance of his chosen pursuits to the exclusion of trivial concerns such as daily shelter or nightly nourishment. Each vizier has an Obsessive-Compulsive derangement associated with his highest-rated intellectual or creative Ability. If the character’s focus of effort shifts, so does
the focus of the derangement.